LAT: Plugged-In Hybrid Tantalizes Car Buffs (new system plugs in Prius)

[DeepModem Mom]

Plugged-In Hybrid Tantalizes Car Buffs
A Southland company comes up with a system that lets Toyota's Prius burn even less gasoline by connecting it to a regular electrical socket.

By John O'Dell, Times Staff Writer


Toyota Motor Corp. boasts that its hot-selling Prius gasoline-electric hybrid doesn't have to be plugged in.

But a growing number of hybrid buffs interested in further boosting the car's fuel economy are asking, "Why not?"

By replacing the Prius' batteries with a more powerful array and recharging it using a standard electric outlet at home, engineers have enabled the hybrid to get more than 100 miles per gallon of gasoline.

"We want to get people thinking of as a real alternative" in the country's long-term energy plan, said Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars.org, an advocacy group in Palo Alto.

The idea of plug-in hybrids is generating a lot of buzz in energy circles because of the work of a start-up Monrovia firm, Energy Control Systems Engineering. The firm bought a Prius and converted it with its own system....


http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-plugin25jun25,0,3114700.story?coll=la-home-business

[Ezlivin]

1. Power to the people!

Back in the day most guys had no qualms about modifying their cars for performance.

It's great to see people modifying cars for efficiency now.

Go Speed Racer!

[Robb]

13. It's cool, huh?

That's exactly what I thought when I read this... I mean, granted you've got to be an electrical engineer to tinker with cars now, but heck -- is that any more impressive than mechanics seem to us mere mortals? :D

[DS1]

2. It's just transferring the pollution to the power plant

:shrug:

[sendero]

3. Probably...

.... but it would require some study to determine for sure.

But then, in some cases from a pollution standpoint, it is good to move the polluting activity out of the city (of course unless you live near the power plant :))

Also, since what you are essentially doing is replacing the burning of gasoline with the burning of coal, natural gas or whatever your power plant is using - there may be times when that is a good thing. It's possible that there will be times when there is little gasoline to be had but the power is more or less there.

And lastly, what these guys have done is build a battery charger. It is not exactly a challenge :)

[localroger]

8. It's still an improvement

Large electric power generators are more efficient and less polluting than small internal combustion engines for producing the same amount of energy. They can operate at more optimal temperatures and pressures, and can employ techniques to clean their exhaust which aren't practical for small engines.

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. Yes, thank you

for explaining that.

This one of the reasons I'm not very worried about peak oil. There's a lot of other stuff that is going to bite us first. However, in regard to peak oil, there are just so many alternatives and with good ol' American ingenuity, we will certainly figure out a way. The only thing holding us back is Bu$hCo and their absolute refusal to lead in this area.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

21. Not to mention, some places, like here in the Pacific Northwest,

get a huge portion of their energy from hydro-electric.

[lakeguy]

9. right now it is, but which form of energy has a renewable source?

think about a car that could run on wind generated electricity...now we just need to start building windmills like mad!

[Coastie for Truth]

11. Altamont Mountains

in the hills on the East Side of San Francisco Bay - we have a massive wind farm - supplies some of the electricty to the Bay Area. It ain't sci fi -- it's here.

[mbperrin]

15. Same near McCamey, Texas - they're here!

And more being built all around the area in West Texas. It's happening.

[DS1]

12. What about the songbirds?

/moronic DU anti-windmill argument

[Coastie for Truth]

14. My assistant here handles them

<>

She loves range raised song birds - aldente. (Only kidding - she's an indoor cat)

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. Why not put a sail on the sucker

We could have land boats with wheels?

[MADem]

18. Not if you have a windmill!!!

Of course, that is not practical at this point in time for everyone, but with more solar and wind power, it could make a real difference.

Wish we had the will...

[natrat]

19. buit if you lived in the southwest and had a butload of solar cells

[mistertrickster]

22. Correct, but electricity can be generated by many, many sources.

Natural gas is what we've got around here, which although bad is not as bad as gasoline. Also, wind power is catching on.

[sellitman]

25. Power plants can be regulated.

Electricity can be made from windmills etc. We have the technology. The Oil lobby is all that stands in our way.

[gristy]

4. I love these things!

Yes, the power still needs to come from somewere when you plug in, b ut

1) power plants are more efficient electricity generators than the gas engine in your hybrid, and can use any source of energy

2) you plug in at night, when there is GOBS of excess energy capacity

3) emissions on congested streets are significantly reduced

But the writer is being disgenious (if not downright dishonest) in comparing mpg between a plug-in and a conventional hybrid. Apples to oranges.

I was sorry to read that the cars can't go very fast on batteries alone. This is surely a result of a decision a long time ago to design the hybrid where the gas engine's power is also applied directly to the drive train, rather than only to generate electricity for the batteries. A smaller electric motor (and lower electric-only top speed) is the result.

[Coastie for Truth]

5. This may be the next generation hybrid

the big "negative" of "pure ev's" has been "range, range, range" and the necessity to park near a recharging outlet.

I can see where Toyota may get "antsy" about the microprocessor and databus modifications

In a standard Prius, a battery pack is charged by the vehicle's own gasoline engine and with electricity produced by the brakes. The car's all-electric mode is fairly limited because the Prius uses its gas engine except at very low speeds. Most owners get 45 to 55 mpg.

However, Energy Control Systems' design tricks the Prius' computer into thinking its batteries are always fully charged, so it uses the electric motor to try to drain them before switching on the gas engine.

------

because all of the components of the Prius are tightly integrated and optimized to work with one another.

BUT - Toyota (notwithstanding "Junk Bond Rated" GM's grandstanding for the benefit of the California Air Resources Board - and no serious intention to market an EV or a hybrid) has more "rubber meets the road" ev experience then GM - and their engineers have always said that they are serious about pure ev's.

SO - a Toyota "plug in hybrid" is a next logical step. At this point you are only recharging off of the on board internal combustion when you go more then, say, 40-80 miles between "plug in" recharges. This is more a marketing decision then an engineering decision.

To the Naysayers who argue "You're still burning hydrocarbons to get the electricity, ya da ya da ya da..." - I am a Progressive Liberal too, and "I are a injunear" in the alternative, renewable and green energy field. The business model is you recharge at home at night on a timer after 11PM when many utilities give a very deep discount. The justification (I was a Thermo TA in my grad student days) is that it's still more thermodynamically efficient --- and therefore fewer emissions and less fuel burned -- to recharge from a single stationary generator (even with transmission and distribution losses) then to recharge from many, many, many small mobile sources -- although both are a significant improvement over a pure internal combustion engine.

[Coastie for Truth]

6. MODS - SUGGEST YOU MOVE TO "ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY" FORUM

[Dr.Phool]

7. Better yet

Plug it in at work, and charge your boss for charging it. It could be Wal-Mart guerilla unionization.

[Coastie for Truth]

10. Back when "Junk Bond Rated" GM was still conning California

there was tax break for (employers, parking garages, condos, apartments, hotels...) that provided "EV Charging Stations."

[PATRICK]

20. Car companies knew that

almost certainly. So how do they crush this new insolent puppy?

It always seemed a scam to keep gasoline flowing into cars with no loss of oil revenue as prices double. Probably an increase of oil revenues under the guise of conservation(drool). But some impatient wise guy is always to see the "road not taken" and compete. track this company and see how long they last. they were lucky to get this news blurb. Their demise will not be broadcast.

Likely, Detroit engineers will put tamper proof mechanisms on to thwart "add-ons" in response to this. They already make it near impossible to make the simplest repairs to one's car.

[truthisfreedom]

23. some of these enthusiastic users might be in for a shock when they get

their electric bills. you don't get something for nothing, unless your landlord pays the electricity.

[peterh]

24. Exactamundo…

While I admire the ingenuity being put forth….I can imagine the horrors as a consequence….just picture everyone plugging in their cars during the last energy crisis here in California….people need to rethink deregulation on energy or more aptly…electricity! The field is just not adept for competition.

[hnsez]

26. Read!!! it only cost $1 to charge the batteries the night before the race